Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has been officially sworn in as the Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District in the 10th Assembly.
Accompanied by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lalong took the oath of office and allegiance at 11:57 am during a plenary session presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Lalong’s journey to the Senate followed a legal tussle after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Napoleon Bali, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner with 148,844 votes against Lalong’s 91,674 votes in the elections.
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Challenging Bali’s victory, Lalong approached the tribunal, arguing that the PDP lacked a proper party structure, and therefore, their candidate’s emergence was invalid.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Muhammad Tukur, the tribunal nullified Bali’s declaration, citing the PDP candidate’s votes as “wasted votes.”
Bali pursued the case further to the Appeal Court, presided over by Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu. Despite the PDP’s protestations, the appellate court ruled that the matter pertained to both pre-election and post-election issues, upholding the tribunal’s decision.
Justice Williams-Dawodu noted the PDP’s failure to adhere to a standing court judgment and declared, “Invalidly nominated candidates cannot attract lawful votes. This appeal fails. The tribunal judgment is hereby affirmed.”
Simon Lalong, previously appointed as a minister and having served as the Director-General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, tendered his resignation following the tribunal’s verdict to take up the senatorial seat.
His induction into the Senate marks his transition from a ministerial position to a legislative role, representing the Plateau South Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
